For the first time ever, San Francisco Catholic official is publicly
admitting that the church houses known, suspected or admitted child
molesting clergy.

According to today's San Jose Mercury News, "While
most dioceses left suspended priests to find their own housing,
the San Francisco archdiocese chose to keep its 17 suspended priests
in church residences, said spokesman Maurice Healy." (SEE STORY
BELOW)

The Oakland Diocese is currently under fire for allowing a religious
order to secretly allow at least seven abusive clerics from western
states to move into a church facility just a few dozen feet away
from a public school. No neighbors were notified about the men.
Oakland's Bishop Allen Vigneron was notified but chose to tell no
one.

"Many Catholics may be upset to know their donations
are going to support and house sex offenders,"
said Dan McNevin of Emoryville, Bay Area leader of SNAP, the Survivors
Network of those Abused by Priests, a support group. "But
this is disturbing for another reason too. History has shown that
church officials have a terrible track record protecting others
from pedophile priests."

A few church leaders claim that it's better to
keep abusive clerics on the payroll or in church facilities, so
they can be monitored. This is faulty reasoning and these are not
the only two options, SNAP feels.

The real solution, SNAP believes, is for Catholic officials to
"aggressively reach out to victims and witnesses
and beg them to contact law enforcement."

Some of the molesters can and should be criminally prosecuted,
according to SNAP leaders.

"There's a reason we jail child
molesters. It's the only sure way to keep kids
safe," said McNevin. "But with
church officials continuing to coddle them, and to encourage and
participate in continued secrecy, these sex offenders are unlikely
to ever be brought to justice."

Catholic lay people, he says, are not apt to "suddenly
find the courage to break decades-old patterns and temptations to
keep quiet" unless specifically and emphatically
being told by church leaders that such silence is immoral and unhealthy.

"Let's be real. It's
extremely hard for a devout parishioner who suspected or knew about
abuse to finally, after years of doing nothing, call the police,"
said McNevin. "But that's precisely
what needs to happen if children are to be safeguarded and justice
is to be done."